


Ironstrange Valentine's Week, Day 5: Survival

by amethyst-noir (Arbonne)



Series: Ironstrange Valentine's Week [5]
Category: Doctor Strange (2016), Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Banter, Bittersweet, But the sweetness wins out, Established Relationship, Fluff, Light Angst, M/M, very light
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-13
Updated: 2021-02-13
Packaged: 2021-03-13 04:47:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 955
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29396457
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Arbonne/pseuds/amethyst-noir
Summary: "Survival is your thing; dying is mine."
Relationships: Tony Stark/Stephen Strange
Series: Ironstrange Valentine's Week [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2151381
Comments: 15
Kudos: 65





	Ironstrange Valentine's Week, Day 5: Survival

**Author's Note:**

> Sorry for the delay but sleep was more important than posting something in a haze. 🥺 (Watch me doing this whole responsible adult thing.)

"Surviving is what I do," Tony had told Stephen not too long ago. "You can throw a moon at me and I'll shrug it off."

It had been meant as a throw-away comment, not meant to be taken seriously despite the truth behind it. But instead of the expected laugh or eye-roll he'd gotten a long and contemplative look from Stephen.

"What?" he'd snapped harsher than planned. He hated it when Stephen went off-script like that.

Stephen shook his head as if to attempt to shrug off whatever thought had taken hold. "Nothing," he'd said unconvincingly and, despite Tony's needling, refused to say anything more. The topic was dropped soon after that because Stephen successfully managed to distract Tony by being a very good and attentive lover who knew exactly how to get Tony where he wanted him to be.

*

"Survival is your thing; dying is mine."

Stephen's whispered words had catapulted Tony back to that conversation in the most unpleasant way possible.

"Hey," he said, gently tapping Stephen's cheek to remind him to keep his eyes open and focused on Tony. "If that were true we wouldn't have met. Your even more of a survivor than I am."

A soft sound of protest. "I keep coming _back_ ," Stephen corrected. "It's different."

It was but Tony refused to dwell on that. "No dying on my watch," he stated firmly. "Once was too much already." He didn't like the implications of Stephen's statement, not at all, but now was not the time to argue with him.

Not with Stephen still sick and feverish with that weird magic flu he'd managed to bring back from his last mystic adventure.

Wait a moment… "You've been holding on to that stupid comment I made for weeks just to throw it back at me _now_?"

Stephen, sneaky bastard that he was, weakly grinned. "Wanted to wait for the right moment."

"Idiot," Tony said fondly. "You must be feeling better then." He put his hand on Stephen's forehead in the age-old and totally inaccurate way of trying to see if the fever had returned. He knew it hadn't but he wanted the comfort of touch.

"Actually, I do." Even Stephen himself sounded a bit surprised at that. "Huh. It's supposed to last a week or longer."

The last three days had been one of the longest of Tony's life and he really didn't want to imagine a whole week or more of having to take care of a really ill Stephen.

"Felt like a month at least," he muttered and quickly moved his hand from Stephen's forehead to his mouth to quell the 'sorry' he could hear coming from mile away. "Don't," he warned and Stephen only licked his palm instead while glowering up at him. "You didn't bitch at me when I had that cold so now do me the favor of doing the same for yourself."

Stephen didn't seem convinced but a sad little beep from BB-8 kept him from saying whatever he'd wanted to say. Instead, he reached out with a hand that was slightly more shaky than usual and touched the metal shell that the Cloak held up like it was offering a gift.

It had taken time - and a little bit of furtive tinkering with the bot's code - but now the Cloak and BB-8 really liked each other. To put it mildly. It was adorable, if a bit weird, to watch them interact. Beeps from one, fluttering and gesticulating from the other and somehow it worked.

FRIDAY claimed she could understand them but Tony thought she was just fucking with him. He really shouldn't have programmed so much personality and independence into her source code but he was so proud of what she'd become that he couldn't be bothered feeling guilty about it. The price he paid was a playful AI who liked harmless pranks.

_This is was having kids must feel like_ , he thought - not for the first time. It was a nice thought that something of his, infused with his personality, would still be here for a long time to come.

Stephen's raspy but genuine laugh brought him back from his rather bittersweet contemplations. There was a genuine smile on Stephen's face as he watched the antics of his two non-human companions and Tony once again was glad that he'd decided to gift the prototype to him. It belonged here, in the Sanctum, admits all the relics and magical stuff. It belonged with _Stephen_. Something of his that could and would stay with Stephen. Even after…

"Tony?"

"Hmm?"

"What you're thinking about?"

He answered without thinking. "About how well everything here fits together. Including my little creation."

A happy squeak and obvious affirmation from the Cloak.

"Tony." Stephen's voice was a little bit stronger now and he sounded serious. Serious enough that Tony fully concentrated on him - only to be greeted by that soft smile he loved so much. "You, too," Stephen said simply and moved to the side of the bed so that Tony had enough space to stretch out next to him.

Tony did and a moment later he Stephen had cuddled up to him. "You belong here as well. With all of us." It was kind of unusual for Stephen to drive a point home like that. Except for the really important things, that was. Tony swallowed the threatening tears down and put his arms around Stephen.

"Home," he murmured. A word he and Stephen had used for the Sanctum before but it had never felt like this. Final. Absolute. Terrifying. Wonderful.

" _Our_ home," Stephen whispered, already half-asleep again, what little energy that had kept him going spent for the time being; leaving Tony feeling stunned and awed in equal measure.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading!


End file.
